Penang Future Foundation (“PFF”) started in 2015 as the Penang State Government’s initiative to aid outstanding and deserving Malaysian youths to pursue tertiary studies in public/private universities in Malaysia. With valuable contribution from the private sector and donors, and recognizing the importance of education and the need to retain local talents, PFF has awarded approximately 655 scholarships over the last 7 years. For year 2021 alone, 70 students were awarded scholarships with the projected total value of RM3.6 million. Selected scholars come from a diverse range of backgrounds and are enrolled in fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Accountancy and Finance.

Now in its eighth year, this scholarship fund remains as one of Penang State Government’s mechanisms in attracting, building and retaining human talent. Based on the approved investment report for year 2021 by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), the State recorded its all-time high of RM76.2 billion in total approved manufacturing investments, a record which significantly outpaced Penang’s past performances. In particular, 98% of the total investment inflows were contributed by foreign direct investments (FDI), firmly placing Penang as Malaysia’s top FDI recipient, accounting for 41% of the country’s total FDI.

Against a background of cautious recovery for the global economy, Penang’s exports climbed 14% year-on-year in 2021, reaching its all-time high of RM354 billion and making it the nation’s highest contributor in exports. Notably, Penang’s exports are dominated by the electrical and electronic (E&E) products. We expect the strong trade momentum to continue in 2022. To uphold Penang’s competitive edge, the State Government constantly ensures the provision of world-class infrastructure and skilled talent. Holding on to that, the State will elevate its liveability stature and continue its multi-faceted initiatives in developing and ramping the talent supply, with the aspiration of harnessing greater possibilities.

Prospective students may apply to be either a ‘PFF Penang Scholar’ or ‘PFF Mutiara Scholar’. Interested candidates are advised to check the eligibility requirements for each category. Both categories have different eligibility criteria based on, among others, candidates’ financial background and scholastic record. ‘PFF Penang Scholar’ caters for those with CGPA of 3.67 and above whereas ‘PFF Mutiara Scholar’ is available for applicants whose CGPA is between 3.00 to 3.66. Successful applicants will receive benefits that correspond with the scholarship awarded to them. Detailed information on benefits and terms of the scholarship is available at PFF’s website (www.penangfuturefoundation.my).

Application window for PFF Scholarship 2022 will open from 1 July 2022 to 22 July 2022. Interested students are encouraged to keep a lookout for periodic announcements through PFF’s website at www.penangfuturefoundation.my; Buletin Mutiara’s distributed free copies; and social media websites including Facebook and Twitter.

The PFF 2021 Selection Interview took place on 21& 22 September 2021 for Penang Scholar and on 23 September 2021 for Mutiara Scholar. Given the ongoing Covid-19 concerns, shortlisted applicants were invited to attend a virtual interview session for the final evaluation in selecting the PFF Scholarship recipients for year 2021.

The virtual interview was headed by members of the PFF Selection Committee and supported by professionals from the industry, academia and community.

More than 70 students were selected for the PFF 2021 Scholarship awards.

“A few words of advice to all aspiring students looking to be a PFF scholar are to roll with the punches despite failure or being unfamiliar, grab all opportunities which will develop your learning curve that come your way (because “you only live once” (YOLO) ) while you’re in or out of the academe, and always manage your stress levels when you’re in the midst of trying because they can make or break your performance as a student.” – By Sebastian Lee Chong Aik (PFF 2018 Scholar)

Watch the video to know more on Sebastian’s experience as a PFF Scholar!

Featuring the voice of Muhd Ishraq (PFF 2018 Scholar) as  The Journalist

https://fb.watch/v/1MX_mWnZh/

My name is Esther Kee Mei Ting. I am from Sarawak and currently studying in Bachelor of Electronic – Mechatronic Engineering at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). I am privileged to be selected as one of PFF 2019 scholars.

Why is PFF important to me? My parents were never given a shot at having an education beyond tertiary education. They were never given an opportunity to show their full potential and make a difference in the world. At a young age, watching my loved one’s struggle and not being able to do anything about it was difficult for me. That is why this scholarship is important to me. This scholarship has helped my family reduce the financial burden of paying for my university expenses.

The PFF scholarship is not only a recognition of my hard work but also acts as an encouragement for me to always give my best in everything that I do and never give up on my goals.

I believe I deserve this scholarship as it helps me to achieve my long-term goals. By furthering my education in Mechatronics Engineering, I can work towards my career goal in the engineering field. I aim to contribute for technological innovations that can make a difference in my community, and this scholarship has certainly helped me by affording my education.

I am honoured and thankful to be selected as one of the PFF scholars. It is indeed a privilege to be chosen as one of the PFF scholars, and I am more than happy to share my experiences here.

As a PFF scholar, I get to join conferences via online due to the current state of COVID situation that is prevailing in our nation. One of the webinar sessions that I joined was titled “Onwards & Upwards: Explore New Careers”. The webinar gave students a chance to get close with Penang’s Industry Leaders from ViTrox, Intel and so on. This webinar has given me insights on ways I can advance my career in Penang. The leaders also shared their experiences in the industry in regards to their obstacles and how they managed to overcome it.

To constantly challenge and improve myself, I participated in the UTM ROBOCON Team that was established by the university in my first and second year. In my first year, UTM Robocon team won the first runner-up and best engineering award in the 2019 Malaysia competition. In my second year, I have made additional improvements taking the role of being a secretary for the UTM ROBOCON team.

Besides joining UTM Robocon team, I also participated other robotic competitions. The most memorable one would be the Johor Impact Challenge that was organized by CREST during the year 2019. My team and I successfully won the C\championship in that competition and proceed to next phase, which was The Great Lab Grand Design Challenge, University Level 2019 in USM, Penang.

As of now I have yet to have an opportunity to experience working in Penang that promotes ‘My Penang, My Workplace”. However, currently I am applying for an internship position to work in Penang. I look forward to working in Penang and believe that Penang will have a lot of great opportunities for students and fresh graduate to grow.

Technology has positively affected human life from antiquity until now by solving problems associated with everyday life and making it easier for different tasks to be completed.  After I complete my studies, I hope to be able to contribute to the society through technological innovations that can elevate the quality of life.

My advice to those who want to apply for PFF 2021 is to go for your goal, believe in yourself that you can do it and make sure that you are always prepared to give your best.

Watch the video to know more Patrick’s journey as a PFF Scholar and his experience working with Penang’s industry!

https://fb.watch/683cZUCwUC/

Penang Future Foundation (PFF) is a scholarship program awarded by the Penang State Government to Malaysians who are pursuing their undergraduate studies in Malaysia. I am one of the lucky students that have been selected to receive this illustrious scholarship. I am delighted to be given such an opportunity as it will ease my family’s financial burden while I pursue my undergraduate degree in UTM’s Bachelor of Electrical Engineering.

This scholarship means a lot to me as it allows me to have a better focus on my academic and achieving my goal of being financially independent. In addition, all the countless hours and efforts that I have invested to improve myself everyday has made this scholarship even sweeter. On top of that, this scholarship allows me a greater chance to be involved in Penang’s renowned industrial hub. I trust that by receiving this scholarship, it will spur me with the motivation and a sense of higher responsibility to continue achieving greater things in life.

I went through an uphill of challenges growing up and that has shaped me to what I am today. It is my earnest hope that I will be able contribute in developments of products that will benefit the society in their everyday life. It is important to play our part as citizens in accelerating the nation’s development and to improve the standard of living in our country. Personally, I encourage students to apply for this scholarship as I believe there is endless possibilities for us to develop and achieve our personal goals. Patience is always the key to success and good things come to those who wait. I stand by the quote that “There is always a rainbow after the rain falls”, and one should never be afraid in making mistakes or in facing failures as lessons learnt from the mistakes or failures will make us a better person.